187 Million Peso Market in Mexico Lacks Water, Power: Merchants Outraged

A new market in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico, has opened with significant problems. Despite an investment of 187 million pesos, the "Florentino Hernández Bautista" public market lacks basic services such as running water, electricity, and gas. "We have to carry water from the bathroom," says Enrica Carrera, a merchant at the market. Another merchant, Alfredo Flores, points out that the government won't allow them to make any changes to their stalls, even to install air conditioning. Valentin Robles, secretary of the Union of Dump Truckers, adds that the contractors hired by the government still haven’t been paid. The market, which was completed nine months late, is a source of frustration for the merchants and a symbol of government inefficiency. The local government has yet to officially open the market, even though it is already in use.